Alfredo ovalle vicuna



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, A. o. VIGUNA. PROCESS 0F ANDFURNACB PoR SMBLTING COPPER. No. 52,5

Patented Sept. 11, 1894.

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UNITS-MES; l PATENT omer;

ALFREDO ovALLE vIoULA, oF VALLENAR, CHILE.

PRocEs's'or-'AND FURNACE FOR SMELTING COPPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 525,773, datedSeptember 11, 1894.

' Appiiandn sied october 5*, 1893. serai No. 487,291. (No man.)

CUA, residing at Vallenar, Province of Ala` cama, Chile, have inventedan Improved Process and FurnaceUsedTherewith for Oopper Smelting andRefining, of which the fol lowing is a specification.

My invention relates 'to an improved method of smelting vcopper ores,and to the construction of an improved compound furnace used therefor,consisting of a combination of acupola blast or reverberatory furnacewith several subsidiary hearths and auxiliary furnaces therewith, bymeans of which copper sulphurous ore may be reduced to copper bar in oneheat and by a single and continuous operation.

The following arrangement of combined furnace has been practicallyworked for many months and has been found to eect the followingadvantages: First, the cupola furnace which is part of myimprovedfurnace, smelts with a greater rapidity than is usual, because only softand easily reducible ores are treated in it, the dustand refractorysilicious ores bey ing treated in the reverberatory hearths of mycombined furnace; second, the first reverberatory hearth receiving as itdoes the molten charge from the cupola, requires little additional heatfrom the auxiliary furnaces to slag the iron by the addition therein ofsilicious ores, or to melt the dust ores which as is well known cannotbe conveniently smelted in cupola furnaces; third, the addition ofsubsidiary hearths beyond the first hearth Where the slagging andremoval of the iron takes place, enables the resulting matte to be theredesulphurized by oxidation and refined until reduced to copper bar withsmall addition of heat and little expenditure of time or labor; fourth,the usual operations in smelting and refining copper, of calcination andof the handling and moving of the calcined ore; the pulverization of thematte and consequent handling and moving; the calcination of thepulverized matte in calcining furnaces, the consequent handlingand/moving, and the final smelting in refinery furnaces are avoided andsaved;` fifth, the cost of my combined furnace for the continuousprocess from ore to copper bar is much less than the cost of the usualsmeltingfurnaces, calcining furnaces and refinery furnaces usuallyrequired, and the means of transport and handling of the ores in theusual known processes is obviated; sixth, poor ores, which by existingprocesses cannot be treated at a profit, may

be smelted in my combined furnace to advantage; seventh, the heat fromthe cupola ,furnace may be utilized in my combined fur- ;nace for thereduction of the ores to bar upon the curved lines -y through the iiueD.

A is a cupola furnace o f known construction which receives the firstcharge of sulphurous copper ore and coke or other fuel, and it isprovided with the usual blastor ltuyere pipes a. After the charge hasbeen smelted in this cupola furnace, the molten charge is dischargedinto the first auxiliary hearth B with the accompaniment of aconsiderable amount of heat and ame. In this hearth B, the molten matteor copper sulphide settles to the bottom, the slag oating on thesurface, which slag is removed in the usual Way, through the door b inthe front of the hearth. This hearth B has on either side a diagonalgrate or furnace C, which serves to increase the heat in the hearth B,or by means of flues D to throw the heat into the further hearths E E,when the communica first hearth B to the secondary hearths E is receivedby the open and curved channels F. The matte, thus freed from slag isexposed alternately in the secondary hearths E E to a desulphurizing andoxidizing current of air, and heat, either from the hearth B or from thegratos C, or when desired by the admission of air by small doors or airholes in the walls of the secondary hearths E E and Ico near thebridges. Hot air tuyere pipes connected with the main wind-tube of thecupola furnace may also be fitted Theplpes b are sunk into the sides ofthe hearth so that the air may be heated from the said hearth before 'itis discharged onto the bath of metal to prevent the bath from being toorapidly cooled.

Before the matte gets cool and begins to redden, which cooling may havebeen ef- .fected by closing the communication with the fire grates C,the dampers of the flues D may be again opened to reheat the charge inthe secondary hearths E and any remaining iron and impurities in thematte may be removed by the addition of a silicious red ore which w1ll.s lag the remaining iron and other impurltles. The bath in the saidsecondary hearths E may thus be alternately reheated andA treated withsilicious ores or oxidized by the admission of air for desulphurization,until .the copper, in a single heat, from its first smeltlng as an ore,may be reduced to fine copper bars of recognized commercial value, andWlth the economy as to time, fuel, labor and capital outlay, ashereinabove specified. If desired, the ordinary poling with timber polesmay be carried out in the secondary hearths E E to bring the copper baththerein to any pitch as refined copper.

Though I have described a cupola furnace wlth auxiliary hearths as thepreferred example of my improved furnace, my auxiliary hearths andgrates and the process of treatto these hearths. 4

ment hereinabove described may be used with an ordinary reverberatoryfurnace in place of in what manner the same is to be performed, I

declare that what I claim is 1. A process for the manufacture of barcopper from sulphurous copper ores consist` ing in first smeltingselected ore by open blast, secondly subjecting the molten matte withdust and silicious oresto additional heat and air and finally eifectingthe desulphurizing and purification of the still molten charge in adistinct stage and chamber by additional heat and air, substantially asdescribed.

2. In combination, a cupola furnace, an auxiliary hearth B receiving thedischarge from the cupola, auxiliary grate furnaces on either side ofthe hearth B, secondary hearths E located in rear of the hearth B, theflue D leading to said hearths E from the auxiliary furnaces C and thechannels F between the hearths B and E, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof 4I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ALFREDO ovALLE VICUA'.

Witnesses:

AUGUST MoLLER, Jr., J; MANUAL CAMPBELL.

